Starting next month, WMATA is rolling out 16 of these new MetroAccess vans with some big promises. The new model will be the "Mobility Vehicle 1," or the MV1, each of which costs about $50,000 and manufacture by VPG in Indiana.

Most commuters are probably familiar with the 600 or so white MetroAccess vans that have transported many in the region who experience disabilities for years, a familiar sight for years now. These new manufactured MV1s should be a welcome addition. MetroAccess riders may not have succeeded in fighting fare hikes recently but at least they'll have a snazzier set of rides here, which cost in total around $800,000. These new vehicles do look sleeker than the current models, I'll admit. This sharpness is noted by many VPG customers on the MV1's Facebook page and in the celebratory video of a vlogger known as ProfessirX below. In WMATA's announcement of the MV1s, Assistant General Manager of Access Services Christian Kent calls them "a more versatile option for providing trips, while maintaining a fully accessible paratransit fleet" because they're designed exclusively for passengers with disabilities. Metro promises seating for four and wide doorways. Take a first look at the vehicles in action here: